What is an iron-chromium flow battery?

An iron-chromium flow battery, a new energy storage application technology with high performance and low costs, can be charged by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and discharged during peak hours.

Where is China's first megawatt-level iron-chromium flow battery energy storage project located?

[Photo/China Daily] China's first megawatt-level iron-chromium flow battery energy storage project, located in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is currently under construction and about to be put into commercial use, said its operator State Power Investment Corp.

What is an iron-based flow battery?

Iron-based flow batteries designed for large-scale energy storage have been around since the 1980s, and some are now commercially available. What makes this battery different is that it stores energy in a unique liquid chemical formula that combines charged iron with a neutral-pH phosphate-based liquid electrolyte, or energy carrier.

What makes iron flow batteries environmentally friendly?

As iron flow batteries consist of earth-abundant and non-toxic materials, they are environmentally friendly, safe, and one of the most reliable electrochemical energy storage devices. On the other hand, an iron flow battery uses electrolytes made up of iron salts in an ionized form.

Are flow batteries a good energy storage device?

When the battery is hooked up to an external circuit, that energy can be used provide power as needed. What’s advantageous about flow batteries compared to other types of energy storage devices is that they are easily scalable. The larger the electrolyte supply tank, the more energy that can be stored within the battery.

Are iron flow batteries soluble?

“With these conventional iron flow batteries, the liquid is on the cathode, and they use a fully dissolved catholyte. But on the anode side, they take advantage of iron plating,” Li said. “We wanted to find a way to make the battery full flow, entirely soluble, and remove the iron plating so that we could improve upon the original design.”